Week in Review

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Week in Review

FS1 WEST

The season started for the 14 competitors at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, a traditional opening date for Monster Jam. Neil Elliott in Max-DTM grabbed the early point lead on the strength of a dominant Freestyle performance in the stadium that earned him 2016 Stadium Freestyle of the Year. Racing winner Adam Anderson in Grave Digger® started his defense of the FS1 Championship Series title on the right foot. Local favorite Time Flys (Kelvin Ramer) took home the Wheelie win. Next stop: Petco Park in San Diego.

STADIUM TOUR 3

Tampa became the opening date for this tour, thanks to an NFL playoff game. Grave Digger (Dennis Anderson) narrowly recorded fast qualifier, but bowed out after a round one victory when the truck rolled after the finish. Meanwhile, Son-uva Digger® (Ryan Anderson) was marching through the bracket, eventually defeating Iron Outlaw (Mike Christensen) for his third career Tampa Racing champion. Freestyle saw the drivers giving it everything they had as Monster Energy® (Coty Saucier) sought to avenge a racing loss. A strong and furious run, culminated with a backflip, enticed a winning score for Coty’s biggest win in front of his home crowd. Mike Thompson came out first in Wheelie competition and could not be beaten to give Wrecking Crew some needed championship points. Next stop: Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

TRIPLE THREAT SERIES WEST PRESENTED BY AMSOIL

Five shows rocked the Tacoma Dome in front of an appreciative crowd at this long-time stop. The series points were tied going into the final show, but a dominating performance in the Sunday finale allowed Grave Digger (Cole Venard) to move out to a 10-point lead. Great Clips Mohawk WarriorTM (Bryce Kenny) and Monster Mutt® Dalmatian (Cynthia Gauthier) are holding their own in many competitions to keep the battles interesting. Next stop: Sacramento, CA

TRIPLE THREAT SERIES CENTRAL PRESENTED BY AMSOIL

Greensboro may be inland, but the Monster Jam fans experienced a shark attack with the arrival of MegalodonTM. While Megalodon (Justin Sipes) has the current points lead, the competition is showing parity as several other athletes got in wins throughout the weekend. A big performance by El Toro Loco® (Armando Castro) vaulted the first year athlete into a force to be reckoned with as the season rolls along. Next stop: Louisville, KY

TRIPLE THREAT SERIES EAST

The DCU Center in Worcester has seen plenty of shows in its history. Max-D and Colton Eichelberger are making a strong case for the automatic bid to Monster Jam World Finals® XVIII, averaging 46 points per show to move into a commanding lead. The Sunday finale featured Max-D winning three competitions and finishing second in two others, totaling 50 points. Next stop: Albany, NY

Arena Tour 4

The cold weather does not diminish the enthusiasm of Monster Jam fans when the gates open at the Fargodome. The arrival of the 2017 shows were greeted with enthusiasm and the trucks and drivers responded accordingly. Northern Nightmare® (Cam McQueen) protected the week 1 point lead, despite Grave Digger (Randy Brown) claiming three of the Monster Jam competitions on Sunday. Next stop: Sioux Falls, SD

Arena Tour 5

A pair of Saturday performances at the Thompson-Boling Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville showed why Monster Jam is a top Tennessee attraction. Grave Digger (Pablo Huffaker) and Rammunition (Mat Dishman) shared event championships with Rammunition having one of the best overall weekends. This tour has the potential of developing one of the closest point races for Monster Jam in 2017. Next stop: Milwaukee, WI

Arena Tour 6

Megalodon (Alex Blackwell) picked up back-to-back event championships in North Charleston, South Carolina. It was close as Carolina Crusher was lurking just a single point back for most of the weekend. Stinger (Zane Rettew) picked up a first Freestyle win for the 2017 season. Next stop: Hampton, VA